Math, 3rd grade, BA, BJU, SM, etc

[Janeway]

Daughter has always used SM. However, she was in a charter school that used Math In Focus. I do not think it worked well for her. Then she moved on to home schooling and we used Singapore Math US edition. I had some Beast Academy on the shelf. She finished SM 2B. Then started BA 2A. So far, she says it is "hard but fine." Meanwhile, older brother, who had done Singapore Math from the beginning through 5A, lost a lot of skills over the summer. One factor is, this was a weird year. We stopped late April and did not start again until about a month ago. We did ITBS this year and all school seemed to stop once that happened. So this fall, when it was time to start school, I found the kids to be behind in their skills. As a result, for older son, I pulled an old BJU Math 5 book off the shelf and for daughter, I pulled the BA 2A book off the shelf, to review each child before continuing with SM.

The reason I had the BJU math is that years ago, an older child started it, and after a few weeks, we decided we liked the more direct approach of Singapore Math so the BJU book was put on the shelf and we went back to SM. Now, years later, now 5th grade son started the book a few chapters in.  

I know daughter does not love the BA.  I am trying to decide if I should switch her to BJU, or some other option, or continue with what I am doing. This is not a "fixing what is working" issue. This is more of a ...it is functioning, we are getting through. She acts checked out half the time, giving wrong answers often, as if she is just throwing guesses out there. For example, I will ask her to show what was done to go from 706 to 606. She will say add ten? No, look at it again. I get out the blocks..and she says add one? No..look..look at it again....look at these blocks...which block did you move? Oh, add a hundred? Okay okay..great, we got it. NOW, tell me, if you start with 606, what do you to get to 706? She says "add one?" No..no..look again..first you subtracted a hundred to go from 706 to 606. Now you are at 606, what do you need to get to 706? "add ten?" Eventually, she gets it but this is taking tons of work on my behalf. And I suspect she is experiencing a lot of defeat. 

I am wondering if perhaps, since older brother is swearing he loves BJU, if I should just buy a BJU book and show it to her...or perhaps there is another program. I just cannot stand excess time on review (BJU has plenty of review, I wouldn't want more than that). I already know I do not like Horizons or Saxon or Teaching Textbooks. I do not wish to do MUS. She says she is good with continuing Singapore Math now. We have not started 3A yet. We have only done BA this year. I already own SM and would have to buy BJU.  

 

[Sarah0000]

I would try SM since she says she wants it and you have it. It's a solid program. For levels 1-3 I use just the textbook to either teach new concepts or review/discuss concepts, all orally. You might consider fast tracking through SM 2 in that way to hit all the places that she struggles. Then if she needs more targeted practice (like it sounds like she does on place value) you can spend extra time on that then move onto doing Singapore 3 however you normally would.